After a long wait, and a late start, the doctor only has a handful of minutes to ‘see’ you. The average family physician at a large hospital has between 2,000-3,000 patients.

Equality.Healthcare opened in December, 2015 as a private, primary care facility in Downtown Springfield. Doctors Shelby Smith, Teresa Troy, and Mark Chambers had a combined 50 years in the Cox system.

Smith says the trio was spending more time filling out insurance paperwork than caring for their patients. The physicians will cap their patients at 600 each, allowing them the time to develop a relationship with their patients. When you start with a doctor at Equality.Healthcare, the appointments are scheduled for an hour but go longer if needed. And you’ll leave with your doctor’s cell number.

Plans start at $30/month for each individual. Medications are provided at wholesale costs (fractions!, like $2-6). Blood tests, joint injections, and other common procedures are at wholesale prices as well. Equality.Healthcare is sourcing local imaging, surgery, and other tests to bring its patients the lowest costs.

Equality.Healthcare is not, however, a substitute for insurance. Think of your body like a car for a moment. Car insurance doesn’t cover oil changes or new tires. In the primary care setting, health insurance should cover emergencies (like car insurance for a wreck).

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